Martin Peters passed around Christmas time in 2020 and left behind a footballing legacy that few players can match. Read here how he was instrumental in England’s World Cup victory over West Germany in 1966.
By Dave Bowler
Just how influential Peters was hangs on a simple twist of fate – that split second when West Germany forced a last-minute equaliser in that game.
Had Wolfgang Weber not made it 2-2 and sent the game into extra-time, we would still be waiting for the first hat-trick in a World Cup final. Geoff Hurst would not have achieved the immortality that went with it. In fact, Martin Peters would have been renowned for scoring the goal that won the cup. He might even have had the knighthood that went to Sir Geoff to boot.
The phrase that always attached itself to Peters was “ten years ahead of his time”. That’s the way that England boss Alf Ramsey explained his style of football at a time when the English game was changing. It was mutating from the old WM or 3-2-5 formation into something resembling the modern game..
Martin Peters - World Cup Winner
It was Peters – and to an extent Alan Ball too – who made that World Cup win possible. Were they at the world-class level of Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Ray Wilson and Gordon Banks? No. But they were still quite brilliant footballers.
More importantly, they were thoroughly modern central midfielders with the ability to break wide. This is what made Ramsey’s “wingless wonders” idea a reality. England were able to overpower sides with numbers in the middle of the park while still being able to get width when necessary thanks to those two.
Beyond that, Peters had an additional gift, that ability of suddenly appearing in the box. He was usually unmarked and ready to finish off chances. They called him “The Ghost” because he could materialise from nowhere. That was a priceless asset, especially in the way Ramsey wanted to play.
Peters And The Wingless Wonders
Perhaps more than anyone else, it was Peters who made the “wingless wonders” work. He was a footballer who made a new conception of the game possible. Interestingly, Peters only arrived on the international scene in the final preparations for 1966,
His arrival on the scene coincided with the last time that England unveiled a new way of playing the game. It was the last time the home of the game was responsible for a tactical innovation that kicked it forward, into new territory. England haven’t done it since – and that tells you just how great a player Martin Peters was.
Sir Alf Ramsey: England 1973 focuses on the final full year of Sir Alf’s reign as England boss. The nation that won the World Cup in 1966 failed to even qualify for the 1974 tournament. Ramsey was suddenly a man out of time, both on and off the pitch. The failing fortunes of the England team mirrored those of a post-Empire nation heading for its own a fall.
A must read for all fans. Order your copy.